Fresh forensic findings in the death of an 18-year-old NEET aspirant in Patna have indicated possible sexual assault, after traces of semen were detected on the student’s clothes, police said on Sunday.
According to officials, the forensic report found semen traces on the leggings the student was wearing at the time of hospitalisation. Police said a DNA profile will now be developed from the sample and matched with those of the arrested accused and other suspects.
In a related development, Patna Police late Saturday suspended two officers for alleged dereliction of duty in the case, Hemant Jha, Additional Officer-in-Charge of Kadamkuan Police Station, and Roshni Kumari, Officer-in-Charge of Chitragupt Nagar Police Station.
The student, a resident of Jehanabad district, was preparing for the medical entrance examination and was staying at a private girls’ hostel in Patna’s Chitragupt Nagar area. She was found unconscious in her hostel room earlier this month and died at a private hospital on January 11 after remaining in a coma for several days.
Her family has consistently alleged sexual assault and accused authorities of attempting to suppress the case. Following widespread protests in Patna, police arrested the owner of the girls’ hostel. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the matter.
In a statement, the Senior Superintendent of Police’s office said the clothes were handed over by the victim’s family on January 10 and subsequently sent for forensic examination. “The SIT will now obtain a DNA profile from the semen detected and match it with the profiles of the accused and suspects,” the statement said.
The post-mortem report had earlier noted injuries to the victim’s private parts and nail abrasions on her body, stating that sexual violence could not be ruled out.
Initially, police and doctors had claimed that the student died after consuming a large quantity of sleeping pills and was also suffering from typhoid, asserting that medical reports and CCTV footage showed no evidence of sexual assault.
However, a five-member medical board at AIIMS-Patna reviewing the case said it has not yet received all crucial documents from the SIT.
(With inputs from PTI)
